


The Tallest Tales

by Sugaxcherri



Category: Grimm Fairy Tales (Comics), Haikyuu!!, Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Fanfiction, Haikyuu!! AU Week
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-16 12:41:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29950131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sugaxcherri/pseuds/Sugaxcherri
Summary: In a world full of magic, secrets and people of all kinds, it’s one of them that has the most unfortunate curse. Consequences of uncontrolled actions will forever haunt them to the grave, and the kingdom seeks nothing more than to see their blood is shed to pay for their transgressions
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

The snow fell heavily outside in the village of Sage Hill, a small cluster of cabins and vendors deep in the timber woods of the country of Strutionum. It was mid December, and Mother Nature was having little mercy on the small population of the village, powdering their whole land with as much snow as she could in that bright morning. 

It was common for everyone in the village to rise early in order to get all of their daily tasks done; kids would wash the laundry, hanging it up to dry by the fireplace rather than allowing it to frost over in the cold air. The village’s butcher and his son would continue their work from the previous day of slicing up the meat the huntsman had retrieved, the group going back out again for the day. 

It was never odd to have the cobbler rarely step outside her home, unless she was gathering more supplies for her shoe making, or to get herself more food from the butcher and community gardens. 

The village elders kept everything in order, setting the rules and ways of the village, organizing the huntsman parties, and they would occasionally call meetings in the village’s great hall for important announcements or events. 

Everyone was slower with the new winter weather, each and every villager slaving away in the snow in hopes to provide for their family. 

Nonetheless, it did little to stop a select few from continuing to have fun outside in the sharp winter air. 

Oikawa trudged through the cold powder that piled upon the once green grass of his home, burying him up to his calves. He was dressed warmly in his thick trousers, a woolen shirt his mother had made him, as well as his dark cape that rested across his shoulders. However, he could have dressed warmer, he realized the more time he spent outside.

Attempting to pick up his pace, Oikawa scooped up a handful of snow in his bare, freezing hands, shaping it as best he could into a sphere. Looking over his shoulder, he could see his three friends gaining on him rather quickly. How they were able to move farther and faster than him, he had no idea. And frankly, it was rather irritating that he was always left behind or the first one to be caught in their games.

Oikawa decided on keeping his gaze ahead of him, trying to find a quicker way to move through the deep snow. He reached a timber tree that encroached onto the field where his village was located, hoisting himself forward by gripping one of its many lower branches. Snow shook from the tree above him as the boy moved, raining the icy flakes onto his fluffy brown hair and down his back, causing him to clench his teeth.

As Oikawa neared the edge of his village and the border that led into the deep timber wood, the snow around him began to thin slightly, until he was able to keep a quick and steady pace. However, he knew very well that this meant Matsukawa, Hanamaki, and Iwaizumi were keeping an even steadier pace as they pursued him.

Daring to look back once more over his shoulder, Oikawa paused his trek as he saw there was nobody behind him as there had been before. There were, however, three separate trails made freshly into the formerly undisturbed snow, making the boy’s stomach lurch. He knew he’d never get out of this, but that certainly didn’t mean he wasn’t to try. 

It didn’t matter where he went, so long as he didn’t get caught. Keeping this in mind, Oikawa turned around to head back the way he had come. It was much easier this time, hurriedly retracing his steps through the snow he had already trampled. 

A brief thought flashed through Oikawa’s mind that maybe he would stay ahead a little longer. Though that thought was quickly put to rest as three figures dropped from separate trees around the young man, making Oikawa yelp in surprise. He glared at his friends, who were grinning evilly as they closed in on him, their hands packed with snow. 

“This is so unfair,” is all Oikawa had the time to mutter before he was attacked by his companions, being tackled and assaulted by the icy snowflakes. Oikawa spat out the snow that was shoved into his face only to receive another mouthful by who he could only assume was Iwaizumi, as the stronger boy was sitting atop his chest, laughing. 

“Alright, alright,” Oikawa panted, trying to push away his friends. “You win. I give up.”

“You’re too easy,” Matsukawa snickered, crouching down to sit beside Oikawa as he still lay freezing in the snow. 

“He’s right,” Hanamaki agreed, dropping one last fistful of snow in Oikawa’s face, causing the boy to cough up flakes and wipe at his eyes with a cold hand. 

Iwaizumi removed himself from his friend, sitting between him and Matsukawa. The three unharmed souls allowed their prey to sit up, brushing white powder from his messy hair. It was a little longer than the others’, and he normally wore it pulled back into a short ponytail. Even though half of it always ended up framing his face in soft yet wild tufts. 

Oikawa heaved slightly heavier than needed to exaggerate the damage his friends had done. Clutching his chest, Oikawa turned to Iwaizumi and said, “You’re really heavy, you know?”

The shorter raven haired boy scowled, threateningly reaching over to scoop up yet another handful of snow. He paused at Oikawa’s profuse apologies, the brunette guarding his now pink, numb face from any further harm. Either way it didn’t matter, because Iwaizumi became distracted by something else before he could decide to take action in assaulting his friend. 

Matsukawa, sitting right beside the shorter boy, followed his line of sight, his lips curling into a teasing smile. Across the glistening white field stood Naomi. She was a young girl who was the daughter of one of the village’s elders. It appeared she decided to step outside for a breath of fresh air, as she didn’t leave the sheltered porch of her cabin as she stood in her cream colored dress, her flawless cocoa skin glowing in the bright morning light. Hair as black as ink fell down her back in loose waves, her eyes reflective pools of the night sky. 

Naomi was well known around the village, due to both her father and her unearthly beauty. Almost all the men in the village admired her for her appearance, though there was one who was quite smitten with the young lady.

Scanning the field, it wasn’t hard to spot the four obnoxious boys piled in the snow, all their eyes fixed upon her. Though her dark eyes sought out one specifically, with the messy black hair and the deep brown eyes. She knew she had his attention, and he had hers. Raising her hand, she offered a small wave in his direction. 

Hanamaki, Matsukawa, and Oikawa smirked at each other as they noticed Naomi’s subtle gesture, and they all whooped and hollered as they nudged and shoved Iwaizumi, who sat dumbfounded as the girl turned to go back inside. 

Regaining his composure, Iwaizumi shoved away his friends, though his face burned a bright red that wasn’t from the cold. 

“Who knew the brute would have won over the beauty?” Oikawa teased, giving Iwaizumi one final shove to his shoulder. 

“It’s not like that,” Iwaizumi muttered, getting to his feet. He pulled Oikawa to his feet as Hanamaki and Matsukawa stood to join them. 

“Care to tell us what is like, then?” Hanamaki pried, waggling his eyebrows. The other two boys laughed, though Iwaizumi wasn’t the slightest bit amused. He did his best to ignore the relentless taunting of his friends as they made their way back into the village. 

As soon as the boys stepped past the first cabin in the village circle, there was a loud blowing of a ram’s horn coming from the outside of the elder hall, where the village often met to discuss important matters. 

Matsukawa frowned, glancing at his friends. “What could it be this time?” he wondered aloud as they walked. 

“Someone’s probably missing another sheep,” Hanamaki yawned, leaning against Oikawa. “I thought we solved that issue, though.”

“Tooru!”

All four boys stopped and stiffened at the familiar bark of Oikawa’s mother. Slowly, Oikawa detached himself from Hanamaki, turning to face the woman. Her dark hair was pulled back messily, and her apron had flour stains on it from baking the morning bread. The bread Oikawa had forgotten to help her with, he realized as he looked at her appearance as well as her angry expression. 

Still, he tried to come off as nonchalant as he could. “Yes, Mother?”

However the next words that left the woman’s mouth wasn’t what Oikawa was expecting to hear, and he thought he’d prefer a scolding to not helping with her baking. 

“Where’s your cape? The red one.” Mother crossed her arms ruefully as she stared daggers at her son.

Oikawa sighed heavily, trying not to roll his eyes at his mother’s genuine concern. “I left it inside,” he told her honestly. When he saw the unchanged look on his mother’s face, he added more as an excuse, “I didn’t want to ruin the fabric by dragging it through all the snow. It would have been ruined, right?”

Mother sighed heavily and shook her head as she walked over to her son, pulling him away from what she considered to be his scoundrel group of friends. “You know it’s going to keep you safe,” she tried to reason once again. “If you wear it, then the wolf—”

“—the wolf won’t hurt me,” Oikawa blandly finished her sentence. “You keep saying that, Mother, but there hasn’t been any signs of the wolf in a few months, right?” Oikawa thought he had made a point, though his stomach lurched as his mother looked at him with disapproval and asked, “Why do you think this meeting was called, boy?”


	2. Chapter Two

Oikawa was pushed inside the village hall with the rest of the community, stuck at his mother’s side in the back while his friends clustered together near the front. Standing before the village were the three elders, dressed in their ominous, dark cloaks that hid their body shapes, their gaunt faces peering out through the hoods. 

Beside the elders stood Therles, the head of the huntsmen, the father of Iwaizumi. The man’s thick arms were crossed over his chest, his face an unchanging grave expression. 

Murmurs from the people spread across the large room, their voices carrying to the tall ceiling above them, braced with dark wooden beams. 

“Good morning, everyone,” one of the elders greeted the village. Oikawa could never remember his name; they all looked the same to him. 

The community murmured their greetings in return, and allowed the elders to explain their reasoning for calling everyone inside.

“As you all know,” the elder began, “there has been the hellish wolf that haunts our community, an endless bloodlust coursing through its veins.”

A few sounds of panic sounded from various people in the hall, and Oikawa felt his skin crawl at the mention of the beast’s return. Everyone knew just how dangerous it was, showing up every month or so for a few days at a time, slaughtering the livestock and any man or woman who dared get in its way. 

The only reason the elders would bring it up, everyone knew, was if the wolf had returned. Why it was hellbent on destroying their village in particular, nobody knew. Each and every time the wolf animal showed up, they would send party after party to try and kill it, though without any luck. In fact, the wolf was always the victor, slaying entire parties at a time before retreating. It killed for sport rather than food, and the thought of being the next victim terrified every villager to their very core.

“The beast is back, once again.” Therles overtook the role of speaking to the people, his deep voice booming across their heads. “We’ve seen signs of it on the outskirts of the village, though nobody has been harmed. However, Mr. Griffin and his sons have reported several of their sheep going missing in the middle of the night. It wasn’t hard to tell it was the beast, however,” he continued, his scowl deepening, “as their blood bathed the snow in the field.”

More nervous murmurs broke out within the crowd, as well as a few shouts demanding what everyone was to do. 

The same elder raised his hand for silence, and he received it a few moments later. 

“I understand the fear that is inside of you all,” he sympathized. “And I can assure you that you are not alone. We have dealt with this before, and it is nothing new.” There was a dramatic pause, in which the hall was so silent one could hear a pin drop. 

Oikawa kept his gaze fixed upon Therles, hoping badly that the man would call for another party to set out and kill the beast. The young man wanted nothing more than to assist in the fall of the wolf, finally ridding it of his village. 

“We will take the necessary precautions to assure we do not lose anyone within the next week,” the elder continued. “And just as before, we will hunt down the beast. Though not the same way,” he assured the crowd as they started to protest against fighting the animal. “We have learned and lost,” he told them, “and we may lose again. But with our knowledge from last time, we are now stronger and prepared for the beast and its antics. We will know how to kill it.”

The old man’s words seemed to ease the tension that had been building in the hall, though it was still heavily weighing in the air. 

Looking around, Oikawa could see that Iwaizumi had left his friends’ sides at some point. The shorter boy now stood beside Naomi, the girl wringing her hands in nervousness. Oikawa watched as Iwaizumi leaned in, speaking to the girl what seemed to be reassurance, as Naomi nodded and dropped her hands to her sides. 

Feeling a prod in his side, Oikawa turned to his mother, who nodded pointedly toward the elder, who was still speaking. She mouthed, “Listen.” and Oikawa sighed, turning his attention back to the old man. 

“We will need men for the hunting party,” the elder stated, and nobody moved. He sighed, saying, “I understand that you fear the unknown fate that awaits you, and I do not blame you. However, if we are to protect our families, we must join together to tackle this beast. Now, do we have any volunteers to join the huntsmen in their work?”

Oikawa wasted no time in his attempt to shoot his hand high into the air, though it didn’t leave his side a single inch before his mother’s iron grip locked onto him, keeping his arm down. She gave him a stern look, which he returned with a glare. “I can handle it,” he whispered. 

“No, you can’t,” Mother said, her gaze becoming more fierce. “I refuse to let you out while that thing is running rampant, causing terror and chaos.”

Oikawa held his mother’s stare for another moment before pulling his arm out of her hand, fixing his eyes on the crowd. He could see Hanamaki had raised his hand, and was ignoring the badgering from Matsukawa. Iwaizumi had also raised his hand, earning a look of approval from his father who still stood beside the three elders.

“Thank you all for your contribution,” Therles said, addressing the few young men that had offered up their lives. “Meet with us behind the hall after noon, and we will be able to discuss in more detail.” With that, he excused himself, the crowd letting him through to the back and out the doors. 

“Yes, thank you all very much,” the elder said, bowing his head slightly in appreciation. “You are all aware of what to do, you are dismissed.”

The villagers filed out of the hall, talking amongst themselves about the matter at hand, Oikawa hanging back to wait for his friends. 

“I’ll be home soon,” he assured his mother, who knew she had to get back in order to continue her baking. “I’m right behind you.”

Looking unconvinced, Oikawa’s mother made her way out of the building, blending into the throng of people. 

Soon it was just the four boys, standing alone, as the elders had also left. 

Matsukawa was still arguing with Hanamaki about the hunt, and now trying to convince Iwaizumi otherwise. He looked to Oikawa, a hopeful look on his face. “You’re staying here, too, right?”

“Unfortunately,” Oikawa said, wrinkling his nose. “Mother won’t ever let me go.” He fell into step beside the group as they departed, half listening to Matsukawa’s veined attempts to save the lives of the other two boys. 

“They’ll be fine, Mattsun,” Oikawa finally chipped in, earning a few sets of raised brows. “Therles knows what he’s doing, there’s no way he’d let them get killed.”

Matsukawa didn’t look the least bit convinced by Oikawa’s words, but the boy didn’t know what else to say to ease his friend’s doubts. 

Oikawa patted Matsukawa’s shoulder, trying to think of a way to change the subject. “Do you guys wanna come back with me for a bit? It’s warm, and Mother’s bound to have burned a loaf by now, so there’s free food.”

There were no more complaints as the group of boys headed to the bakery, where Oikawa’s house was, hoping to warm up and get some food. 

The bakery was warm, as it always was with the fire burning in the back, the heat flowing freely throughout the small building. The floor was stone, the walls wooden with few paned windows on either side of the door. The ceiling wasn’t low, though it wasn’t as high as it could be; there had been times some of the taller men would graze their heads upon the roof as they walked in and out. There was a lovely case of breads and sweets that sat prettily, begging to be enjoyed by the villagers. 

Hanging up their coats, the boys followed Oikawa back around the counter of the not so busy bakery, the brunette slyly snatching a fresher loaf as he went back into the household part of the building where the boy and his mother stayed. There was a small lantern lit in the den, where there was a small, simple sofa in front of an empty fireplace. They rarely used it, as the heat from the bakery’s oven often warmed their home as well. Just past the den was Oikawa’s bedroom, where the boys congregated on the daily. They sat on and around the bed, sunlight beaming through the small window. 

“It won’t be long before you two are off, huh?” Oikawa asked, glancing at Iwaizumi and Hanamaki as he tore into the bread, handing his companions a piece. 

“You’re right,” the latter boy agreed, a simple nod from the other. Hanamaki was bouncing his leg in anticipation, obviously torn between excitement and fear for the upcoming hunt.

“I don’t get it,” Matsukawa continued, taking a frustrated bite of his share of bread. “They haven’t been able to kill this beast for years. What makes them think they can do it now?”

Oikawa tried to offer a comforting point. “The elders did say that over time, they’ve learned how to kill it, spotting its weak spots.” This did little to ease his friend’s nerves, though he certainly couldn’t blame him. It was quite a scary thought, knowing they may not return from the hunt, and possibly dying in a gruesome, painful way.

“Do they really know,” Matsukawa persisted, “or are they just trying to give us peace of mind?”

Sighing, Oikawa simply shrugged. He really had no clue, as he knew next to nothing about the creature. Everyone knew how dangerous it was, but not a soul outside the huntsmen knew the deeper details, such as it’s strengths and weaknesses. They had never bothered to share such knowledge with the villagers, for whatever the reason may be. It irked Oikawa, in all honesty. He hated being left in the dark, especially about this. If only his mother would let him leave for a single night. He might even be willing to take his red cloak.

The boy glanced at the pile of red fabric that sat unceremoniously on his bed covers, a useless lump. It didn’t even keep him warm in this kind of weather, which he thought to be a total bust. It was a superstition that the color red repelled wolves, which is why Oikawa’s mother was hellbent on having him wear it wherever he went. Personally, he didn’t believe it, but he had little to go off of regarding whether or not it did do the trick. He’d certainly never been attacked by a wolf when he was wearing it, though it was the same outcome the few times he’d been able to sneak off without it, such as today. 

“Tooru!” The sound of the boy’s mother was near and loud, and the boys quickly shoved the rest of the bread into their mouths, not wanting to be caught. Hanamaki nearly choked on his, covering his mouth in a desperate attempt to stifle his coughs as Oikawa’s mother walked into the room. She barely regarded his friends before addressing him specifically. “I have to make a quick run over to Mr. Stein’s to get some sugar. I need you out there to watch the shop until I’m back, okay?”

Oikawa, his mouth full of bread, just nodded as he received the instructions. He didn’t care to run the bakery, but he knew better than to complain. 

Giving him a nod, his mother left the room, the group sitting stone still until they heard her footsteps fade, and the door to the shop opened and closed. Hanamaki resumed his hacking and coughing with Iwaizumi patting his back, Oikawa trying not to choke on his own piece as he and Matsukawa laughed.

“She doesn’t like us, huh?” Iwaizumi commented as Hanamaki finally regained his composure. 

Shaking his head, Oikawa replied, “She never has, and she probably never will.” He reluctantly got to his feet, his friends following suit. “I guess I need to be out there, then,” he grumbled. “And you guys need to meet with Therles.”

Hanamaki and Iwaizumi nodded and they all headed back into the bakery, the two boys leaving. 

Matsukawa stayed with Oikawa for a while, keeping him company while his mother was gone, and helping out with the scarce customers that came in looking for something to eat with their stew that night. “When do you think they’ll start the hunt?” The curly haired boy couldn’t help but ask his friend. 

Oikawa was sure his shoulders were going to get stuck with the amount of shrugging he was giving in response. “I’m sure they’ll tell us,” he said. “No doubt they will, they won’t want anyone walking outside when they corner the thing.”

The more the thought weighed on the boy’s mind, the more he was giving into Matsukawa’s anxiety. The four of them grew up together, he couldn’t bear to think of how life would be if he lost one of them. Or two, in this case. Though he knew how hard headed his friends were, especially Iwaizumi. Once they decided on something, there was no talking them out of it. The only thing Oikawa and Matsukawa could do was hope for the best when it came to their friends’ safety.


End file.
